By Vandya Rai
May 19, 2022
The majestic bald eagle made a comeback after they were slowly growing extinct upon eating fish contaminated with pesticides. In the 1960s, only 487 nesting pairs were alive. Now, over 300,000 soar the skies.
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This unique animal can smell rain in the distance and lead its herds towards it for fresh grazing. Unfortunately in the 1970s, hunters almost wiped them out. Today, there are around 8000 of them galloping in nature.
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Hunting and habitat destruction drove these primates to the verge of extinction throughout the 20th century. Today, around 1063 mountain gorillas remain in the conservation reserves of Uganda and Rwanda.
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The Whaling industry had caused the humpback whales to go nearly extinct over several decades. At one point, there were only 1500 of them. Now, 40,000 thrive in the Australian waters.
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The second-largest land mammal after the elephant - were once thought to be extinct, mostly due to hunting. After 100 years now, over 20,000 southern white rhinos roam the wild.
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The world’s most endangered feline species - less than 100 Iberian Lynxes remained due to the loss of forest habitat and prey. 20 years ago, conservation measures to secure 49,000 acres of their habitat in Portugal have now led to population growth of up to 400.
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Africa’s largest fruit bat is only found on the remote island of Pemba off the coast of Tanzania. Due to deforestation, they nearly went extinct 30 years ago. Conservation efforts began in 1995 and now, over 22,000 flying foxes glide through the island.
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Lake Eerie, spanning 25,667 square kilometres, is the only home to water snakes. They faced the brink of extinction in the 1990s because the locals considered them pests. After being put on the endangered list, their number has slithered over 12,000.
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After spending 200 million years on the planet, these alligators became one of the most endangered species due to hunting and poaching. Their conservation became a glorious success story; today over 5 million of them wade the waters.
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In the late 1970s, only around 1000 giant pandas were living in the wild. They became almost extinct due to habitat loss relating to farming and tourism. But, thanks to recovery efforts, the population of these adorable animals has nearly doubled now!
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